Burial Grounds

Burial Grounds

Bukit China Burial Ground

Bukit China is situated southeast of Malacca Town, about 148 feet above sea level and covers an area of 42 hectares.

There are more than 12,500 graves on Bukit China including approximately 20 Muslim tombs. The existence of these Muslim tombs has made this Chinese cemetery all the more special and unique. Bukit China is also believed to be the oldest and largest traditional Chinese cemetery outside China. According to our records, there were also graves of Kapitans and early Chinese immigrants on the hill long before the hill was purchased from the Dutch Government in 1685 by Kapitan Lee Wei King and donated to the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple as a burial ground for the Chinese community in Malacca.

The oldest tomb, more than three centuries old, is a double burial. The tomb of Mr. & Mrs. Huang Wei-Hung (situated near the basketball court of SRJK Pay Fong III) was built in the second year of Tian Hee of Ming Dynasty (1622). The weather had taken a heavy toll on the tomb, and in 1933 Cheng Hoon Teng Temple had undertaken to repair it. A stone inscription was erected to mark it. The tomb was again restored in 2001.

Since the British rule until today, there had been several attempts to acquire Bukit China for road widening, land reclamation and development purposes. However, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, which is responsible for the management of the hill, had strongly opposed these attempts. With the support of the general public, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple managed to preserve Bukit China.

Bukit China is the place where early traders from China were buried. It was stated on the stone steles that many of the Chinese traders came to this country with high expectations for success in trade. Sadly, some died before fulfilling their ambitions. Since their families did not travel with them, there was no one to pray for their souls. As such, prayers were initiated by the Chinese Kapitans for them. However, these were always hampered by strong winds and heavy rainfalls because there was no proper shelter.

In 1795, after Chua Su Cheong had been appointed as the Chinese Kapitan, he looked into this problem faced by the community and initiated the building of a temple at the foot of Bukit China, to ensure that the prayers for those buried in Bukit China would not be interrupted. The name of the temple, Poh San Teng is inscribed in the 1795 tablet of its founding and also above the front door of the temple. The main deity is “Fu De Zheng Shen” or “Tua Pek Kong” as is the tradition of the Chinese, be it in China or Malaysia for all graveyard temples.

Bukit Jelutong Burial Ground

During his tenure as Teng Choo of the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple between 1847 to 1864, Mr. Tan Kim Seng in a generous gesture, donated the Bukit Jelutong burial ground to Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, as burial space on Bukit China was limited. This cemetery covers an approximate area of 110 hectares.

Bukit Jelutong Crematorium

This firewood crematorium was built in 1955. The Temple’s records indicate that the first cremation, dated 20th October 1955 is that of the late Mr. Tan Koon Sian. In 1996, the crematorium was upgraded to diesel fuel.